Blueberry Lemon Sweet Rolls are an amazing breakfast or brunch recipe made with love! The popular berry and citrus flavor combination is perfect for warm weather and holidays like Easter. Inspired by a cinnamon roll with a creamy filling layered with blueberries.
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water as per package directions for the correct temperature to ensure that you keep your yeast alive (typically between 100-110F).
1 package active dry yeast, 1/2 cup warm water
In a large bowl, mix the milk, sugar, melted butter, salt, and egg. Let it sit if the temperature of this mixture is over 110F otherwise it will kill the yeast. Once at 110F or below, add the yeast mixture and mix to combine.
½ cup milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 large egg
Add in 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough is easy to handle (the amount of flour that you need will vary).
4 cups flour
Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes. Place the dough into a greased bowl (you can use 1-2 tsp of vegetable oil to coat the bowl you mixed everything in). Cover bowl with saran wrap and then a kitchen towel. Let sit until the dough has doubled in size, approximately 60-90 minutes.
When dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Then put it back on a floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 15x9 inches.
Mix the filling of cream cheese, butter, and lemon zest together in a medium bowl. Spread the mixture over the dough in a thin layer. Depending on the exact size of your dough, you may need a little more to coat it all.
Spread the blueberry jam across the cream cheese mixture. Add more if desired.
1/4 cup blueberry jam
From the long edge, tightly roll the dough all the way to the other long edge and pinch dough together to seal.
Using a serrated knife, cut the log in half. Then cut each half into half again so that you have four equal pieces. Lining up two pieces at a time, cut each into three rolls so that you have a total of 12 rolls.
Coat the bottom of your 9x13" baking dish with some additional melted butter (approximately 1 Tbsp) and sugar to coat. Place the cinnamon roll slices close together (four rows of three) in the dish and let them rise until the dough has doubled again, approximately 45 minutes. (If you are making these the night before, once the rolls have doubled in size, cover them in plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator. In the morning, pull them out to warm to room temperature before baking).
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Once the rolls have doubled in size, place them in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until they are starting to brown.
While the rolls are baking, prepare the icing. Whisk the cream cheese in a medium bowl until creamy. Add the milk and lemon juice, and whisk in until combined. Add in the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. If the cream cheese is lumpy, you can heat this mixture at any point in a microwave safe bowl for 10 seconds at a time until smooth again.
When the rolls are done, let them cool slightly and then top with the icing. Garnish with additional jam, fresh berries, and lemon zest as desired. Serve warm.
Notes
If you love the glaze like I do, double the glaze recipe.No blueberry jam? You can use our blueberry compote recipe!The rolls can be made all the way up to the point before they go in the oven and then left overnight in the refrigerator to save time in the morning. Just bring your dish to room temperature as the oven is heating so that it is not ice cold going in the oven. I have had a cold dish explode on me before from the change in temperature :)Easily make the dough all in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment instead of mixing and kneading by hand. I do find it takes longer for the dough to be ready, but is easier.